His luggage isn’t even unpacked yet–and given that his predecessor lasted just four Scaramuccis, maybe he shouldn’t–new British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak dismissed a call for a general election from opposition leaders incongruously because his Party’s popularity is historically low.
As Politico outlines, in Britain’s parliamentary system, the ruling Party can voluntarily call for a general election, which puts every seat in the House of Commons into play. The winner of the majority of seats names the Prime Minister, and until the next general election is called, seats in Parliament stay in the Party’s hands, so while the Prime Minister can be changed, the unpopular Party continues to rule.
So incongruously, the Tories are safe because they’re unpopular, and because they’re unpopular, the public has no say in kicking the bastards out of office. A 2011 law would have mandated general elections every five years was repealed earlier this year… by the Tories, or Conservative Party, who hold the majority of seats in the House of Commons.